The home front’s awareness of the war’s objective and nature can be characterized mainly as a constant state of panic. The government of Great Britain knew that cities would be bombed, and even thought that gas would be used as a means of warfare. Because of this, a million coffins were prepared, and the government put pressure upon households to send their children away to the safety of the countryside in order to maintain the morale of Great Britain. These evacuations began on September 1st, 1939, with over one million evacuees leaving London by train. The home front became more aware of the war’s objective of Germany’s domination of Europe through the use of rationing, which had to be done because of Hitler’s tactics. Britain had always imported food and other goods from overseas, and in order to combat that Hitler enacted a plan to fire missiles at ships bringing those supplies. This new requirement of rationing food put great stress upon the home front. Propaganda affected the mindset at the home front most notably in the perspective of women, who were now put into more prominent roles with the absence of men who were enlisted. Women were encouraged through motivational posters and slogans to work in factories, where they would produce aircrafts, ammunition, weapons, and other goods needed for the war effort. A specific example of propaganda was also used in the rationing process, ‘Mend and Make Do’ which was a slogan used to encourage the use of second hand clothing while resources were low.
Some of the direct contributions of the Home Front to the war effort was its ability to mobilize the greatest proportion of workers, maximize output, assign right skills to the right task, and maintain the morale and spirit of the people. This mobilization and maximization of output was most prominently seen through women during the time of war. Women during this time took on the jobs left by the men who were now preoccupied in fighting in the war. The British women also aided greatly in the rationing of customer goods. Women were also used in new services, as well as other jobs which were considered trivial but maintain the morale of the country, such as movie theaters, and being able to own pets. The Home Guard or Local Defense Volunteers was an organization which also greatly aided in the war effort by providing security for the home front while the younger more able bodied men were off fighting in the war. The men which served in the Home Guard were all volunteers and were mostly too old or too young to serve in the forces. Members of the public were asked to donate any rifles, pistols, or shotguns that they might have to provide the Home Guard with weapons. Most of these men had full time jobs, but were trained in the evenings to prepare for a German invasion, as well as guarding buildings that had been bombed to prevent looting. The Home Guard greatly aided in the war effort by allowing Great Britain to focus its resources on the actual war going on outside of its country.
One of the greatest costs of the war to the Home Front in Great Britain was the emotional traumatization which occurred during the period of evacuation on September 1st 1939, when children were separated from their parents for their safety. Though they were later returned when the threat of biological warfare was no longer valid, the grief faced by the people of Great Britain really brought down the morale of the people. Another cost was the amount of resources that Great Britain once had. Because of Great Britain’s dependency on resources from ships, Hitler saw this as an opportunity to corner Great Britain by cutting off their resources and forcing them to ration, hoping that they would soon surrender. Rationing caused a great deal of stress to families, who were sometimes not able to receive enough food throughout the week. Clothes were also being rationed, and the government encouraged its citizens to reuse and to simply patch up tattered clothing. This limit on goods and resources also proved to be a great cost of going into war. The following depicts a case study of a person’s rations for a week during this period.
Benefits of the war to the Home Front includes the growth in prominence of women due to their contributions in Great Britain’s time of need. Organizations like the Women’s Voluntary Service, Air Raid Wardens, Auxillary Territorial Service, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, Women’s Royal Naval Service, and Special Operations Executive are some of the many organizations formed by women during this time, showing others the resilience of women and potential to be more than simple housewives. The success of rationing and keeping the country’s morale up also became a testament to the perseverance of the country, which was displayed to other nations during the war.
Life for women and youth on the Home Front can be characterized as very busy and tragic. As mentioned in the previous questions, women on the home front for Great Britain were gaining prominence to due various jobs they took over on behalf of the soldiers fighting for Great Britain. The youth on the Home Front were essentially traumatized by the evacuation of Great Britain in 1939. This was due to fears and rumors about biological warfare being used by Germany and other nations during the onset of battle. As a result, the government forced many children to leave their homes to safety. An example of evacuation would be James Roffey, founder of the Evacuees Reunion Association. He describes the hectic setting and how him and his group “marched to Waterloo States behind our head teacher carrying a banner with our school’s name on it.”
Some of the direct contributions of the Home Front to the war effort was its ability to mobilize the greatest proportion of workers, maximize output, assign right skills to the right task, and maintain the morale and spirit of the people. This mobilization and maximization of output was most prominently seen through women during the time of war. Women during this time took on the jobs left by the men who were now preoccupied in fighting in the war. The British women also aided greatly in the rationing of customer goods. Women were also used in new services, as well as other jobs which were considered trivial but maintain the morale of the country, such as movie theaters, and being able to own pets. The Home Guard or Local Defense Volunteers was an organization which also greatly aided in the war effort by providing security for the home front while the younger more able bodied men were off fighting in the war. The men which served in the Home Guard were all volunteers and were mostly too old or too young to serve in the forces. Members of the public were asked to donate any rifles, pistols, or shotguns that they might have to provide the Home Guard with weapons. Most of these men had full time jobs, but were trained in the evenings to prepare for a German invasion, as well as guarding buildings that had been bombed to prevent looting. The Home Guard greatly aided in the war effort by allowing Great Britain to focus its resources on the actual war going on outside of its country.
One of the greatest costs of the war to the Home Front in Great Britain was the emotional traumatization which occurred during the period of evacuation on September 1st 1939, when children were separated from their parents for their safety. Though they were later returned when the threat of biological warfare was no longer valid, the grief faced by the people of Great Britain really brought down the morale of the people. Another cost was the amount of resources that Great Britain once had. Because of Great Britain’s dependency on resources from ships, Hitler saw this as an opportunity to corner Great Britain by cutting off their resources and forcing them to ration, hoping that they would soon surrender. Rationing caused a great deal of stress to families, who were sometimes not able to receive enough food throughout the week. Clothes were also being rationed, and the government encouraged its citizens to reuse and to simply patch up tattered clothing. This limit on goods and resources also proved to be a great cost of going into war. The following depicts a case study of a person’s rations for a week during this period.
4oz (113g) lard or butter
12oz (340g) sugar
4oz (113g) bacon
2 eggs
6oz (170g) meat
2oz (57g) tea
Benefits of the war to the Home Front includes the growth in prominence of women due to their contributions in Great Britain’s time of need. Organizations like the Women’s Voluntary Service, Air Raid Wardens, Auxillary Territorial Service, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, Women’s Royal Naval Service, and Special Operations Executive are some of the many organizations formed by women during this time, showing others the resilience of women and potential to be more than simple housewives. The success of rationing and keeping the country’s morale up also became a testament to the perseverance of the country, which was displayed to other nations during the war.
Life for women and youth on the Home Front can be characterized as very busy and tragic. As mentioned in the previous questions, women on the home front for Great Britain were gaining prominence to due various jobs they took over on behalf of the soldiers fighting for Great Britain. The youth on the Home Front were essentially traumatized by the evacuation of Great Britain in 1939. This was due to fears and rumors about biological warfare being used by Germany and other nations during the onset of battle. As a result, the government forced many children to leave their homes to safety. An example of evacuation would be James Roffey, founder of the Evacuees Reunion Association. He describes the hectic setting and how him and his group “marched to Waterloo States behind our head teacher carrying a banner with our school’s name on it.”
Works Cited
"The Home Front." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/home_front>.
"Home Front during World War II." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_front_during_World_War_II>.
Prest, David. "Evacuees in World War Two - the True Story." BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/evacuees_01.shtml>.
"World War Two - The Home Front." History on the Net. History on the Net, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/home_front.htm>.